After spending his childhood and teenage years shuffling from house to house across the Portland area, the 64-year-old got his wish: He settled in Wilsonville and spent the next four decades ingraining himself into a city he loves so much he created a license plate out of its ZIP code.

Over the years, Ludlow served as a Wilsonville City Council member, mayor, Chamber of Commerce president and member of various community groups.

Now Ludlow, who calls himself Mr. Wilsonville after a friend gave him the nickname, hopes to add a broader connection to his curriculum vitae: chairman of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners.

Ludlow's public career began in 1972 when he won a board of education position at Clackamas Community College, from which he graduated in the late 1960s.

"I was well-known in the area," he said. "I was a good kid: all-state choir, wrestling, band, acting. I did everything. Anything. So I was fresh on people's minds."

After his two years on the board, Ludlow moved to the Manning area in unincorporated Washington County, where he lived in and rebuilt a mountain cabin that started out with no electricity or running water.

In the mid-1970s, Ludlow moved to Wilsonville as a carpenter because of his admiration for the mayor. Phillip Balsiger, who served four terms, led the drive to incorporate Wilsonville in the 1960s and served as first chairman of the Columbia Region Association of Governments, the regional planning agency from the late 1960s to late 1970s.

A real estate broker for more than 35 years, Ludlow has spent staggered periods in elective office.

In 1981-83, he was president of the City Council.

He ran unopposed for mayor of Wilsonville in 1991 and resigned halfway through his term in protest of the council's firing of the city manager. In 1990, a group of residents threatened to file a recall petition, saying Ludlow behaved rudely at City Council meetings, but nothing came of the threat.

In addition to a volunteer schedule as full as in the past, the 2000s saw Ludlow's proudest achievement: the foundation of Through a Child's Eyes, a partnership between the Wilsonville Rotary Club and the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. The organization offers prisoners resources on parenting and bonding with their children and sponsors annual events where incarcerated mothers and their children can spend time together in carefree party settings.

Doris Wehler, a longtime Wilsonville resident and friend of Ludlow's, said working together on Through a Child's Eyes defined Ludlow in her eyes as sharp and generous with a talent for leadership.

"When he sees a need, he goes into action," she said.

Ludlow, a Republican, advanced to the Nov. 6 runoff against incumbent Charlotte Lehan after receiving the most votes, 18,759, in the May primary election. "There's a temperament out there with the voters that they've had enough," Ludlow said. "Taxation for sure. But it's more than that."

Ludlow's campaign has drawn strong financial support from the Oregon Transformation Project's political action committee, which also supports conservative candidates Jim Knapp and Tootie Smith. The PAC has donated about $117,000 in cash and in-kind contributions to Ludlow's campaign, more than half of the $231,875 he has raised. Ludlow has also received about $23,500 total from the Oregon Small Business Association and the Oregon Family Farm Association PACs.

Support from conservative groups such as the Oregon Transformation Project is tied to the slate's anti-spending mentality and campaign to fight what they call "Portland creep," which refers to the Portland-Milwaukie light-rail extension and increased housing density.

Ludlow criticized current Chairwoman Charlotte Lehan for her support of honoring the county's commitment to extend light rail into Milwaukie. He said the focus of county leaders should be on responding to the desires of their constituents and not on partnerships with regional agencies.

Though he's known for his outspoken nature and strong opinions, which have at times brought controversy, Ludlow said that when it matters, he can put differences aside.

"I don't mean to make people mad, but sometimes they are," he said. "But I'm a teddy bear. I'm a pretty mellow old guy."